Vesper stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing a crisp white shirt, coupled with a dark grey tie with small polka dots.
Above the shirt, he wore an elegant black suit that draped his body beautifully, and above the suit, a silvery-pale robe, a fashion statement of the era.
He slightly adjusted the tie in the mirror and smiled lightly.
"Hehe, I look so handsome."
Vesper was very happy that the Bloodvaine let him take all his belongings with him while being cast out of the family.
"Maybe they held me in their heart. A little bit."
He wondered if it was for propaganda too from their side.
More than that… Vesper was itching to test his newfound abilities but they really had not manifested yet.
'It'll take time.'
He was a Pureblood. That's what his Primary Vector stated as well. A Pureblood was second only to the three monarchs.
Vesper's body had been human too long. It was adapting to the immense power that he had acquired. All the essence was stored in his body, he just had to slowly adjust to it.
'This is well enough.'
He glanced at one of the boxes by his table and removed an eyeliner from it and lightly applied it at the corners of his eyes.
"Now that's a rockstar."
Gently keeping it back, he picked a few pieces of jewelry, a gold bracelet that he wore on his left wrist, and a lovely gold necklace with a radiant crimson diamond-looking gem in the center that glinted even in the darkness.
"Time to leave."
~
In a grandiose hall, so large and grande that an entire city could fit inside… millions of spectators watched as two figures stood opposite each other, face to face.
Upon the holographic screen, people stared simultaneously as the host himself watched in silence not in any hurry to start announcing anytime soon.
On one particular side of the hall, in an upper chamber… a few figures sat in the dark covered by a mystical transparent impermeable veil.
Their eyes locked upon the two duelists down below. The lights in the area flickered every few seconds. It was a rather simple arena, torches covered its boundary… but fire didn't blaze but rather glowing blood that boiled within them.
The announcer finally whispered and his voice boomed across the entire hall.
"The History of Troy goes back to the dawn of humanity."
The entire hall was silent but now whispers were beginning to arise, the people were shivering in anticipation.
Troy. The Greatest Ground of Heroes. Graduates of Troy were an entirely different class of people. Elites that ruled every section of the known and unknown universe.
Heroes. They were called.
"Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Priam. All heroes. And you? First years. Are you heroes too?"
Many of the first years screamed at the top of their lungs 'Yes!' but the real ones were silent, quiet… calm.. observing with their calculating eyes.
The announcer chuckled. His taunting voice had a special quality to itself.
"Those of you who said Yes. Your Ring Identification Cards have recorded your answer and you… are being kicked out of Troy."
Gasps rang across the arena, mutters of disagreement and agitation. They screamed like rabid dogs… shock plastered on their faces but before they could retaliate…
An outrageously powerful pressure descended upon all of them, on the entire arena, and especially the ones agitated.
Guts covered the floor as they puked their lungs out. The announcer spoke again, his voice filled with amusement.
"First lesson of being a Hero. Keep Calm."
Almost everyone who was calm was unaffected. The agitated were the ones with the most internal damage.
"This is called Aura. Don't forget it, maybe you can try for Troy next year but it's unlikely. My previous statement was a joke… those who screamed 'Yes' are still alright. Heroes must believe that they are hero material after all but… you.. those of you who succumbed to my taunt. Heh. Unworthy."
Before the ex-cadets could even voice their complaints again, they vanished from the Arena as if they were never even present.
The same with the mess they made out of the floor. Vanished like none of it was ever present as if nothing had taken place.
The world was still, very still… all eyes upon the host… the announcer… "Who am I you wonder… let me introduce myself First Years. My name… Ullysen Pual. Head of Second Year. Student Council Vice President. I welcome you all to Troy. Those of you who remain are exceptional. Finest of humanity. Never forget that. Before we begin with the ceremonies and the speeches, let us begin with a small shedding of blood. After all… what is Troy if we don't lust for blood? We may not be Vampires but our lust is far greater than theirs… for to behest the monster… one must be a greater one."
Chills.
The spectators, ordinary men, women of the planet Illiad… nobles and businessmen from across the solar systems.
All were present watching, smiles on their faces as if they had seen this a thousand times before but couldn't wait to witness it again.
After all this arena… the Trojan Hall… was the ground that would be the testament to the birth of Heroes.
Who wouldn't want to witness greatness before it has already bloomed?
What a beautiful sight.
Ullysen smirked, "Let us start the duel. Two cadets. Both had scored the highest in the Trojan Entrance Exam but alas an equal score. We don't have a first rank yet. Maybe this duel shall determine who will be the First Rank and the Head of the First Years until the end Semester."
He took a breath in as his words settled upon the audience, the figures in the dark chamber above staring with a calm scrutiny, observing every cadet especially the duelists below that still had their eyes locked.
Ullysen spoke, his lips curling into a bloodthirsty smile.
"DUEL!!!! EVIRA OF THE ANCIENT XI… LAST OF HER CLAN… SOLE HEIR TO THE XI DUCAL SOLAR SYSTEM VS THE BLOOD OF THE SUN, LIBERATOR OF MANKIND… DIVINE FLESH OF THE ALL MIGHTY ETERNAL EMPEROR OF HUMANS … THE SECOND PRINCESS AMYRIS CHRYSELLE…. RA'DEUS BEPOLLIS!!!!!!!!!"
The entire arena burst into a frenzy and the very world trembled hearing the poundage of the names
…And as the titanic names rang across the arsenic hall… a singular, cold silence unfurled in the center of Vesper's mind as he stared in the midst of the arena from a dark spot he'd found comfortable.
There she was. Amyris. The Second Princess whom he supposedly raped now clad in the blazing symbolism of the sun itself.
And opposite her, the girl who held Lysbelle's desire and perhaps his only chance at survival.
The past and the future were about to try and murder each other, and he was the ghost haunting the space between them.
A laugh, dry and hollow as a tomb, almost escaped his lips. 'Of course,' he thought.
'The universe really does have a sick sense of humor.'